The Worth of a Picture
by Blue Obsidian Butterfly
Summary: A thousand words cannot even begin to describe it.


**Disclaimer: Oh all the wonderful things I could do if I owned Rizzoli and isles *cough Rizzles***

 **A/N: A huge thank-you to il2readfic for the amazing prompt! If anyone has any others please send them my way ;)**

The worth of a picture

A thousand words cannot even begin to describe it.

'Oh please no' Jane mumbles to herself, glaring at her phone where it rests inconspicuously on her desk, buzzing at her as if it's personally affronted by her mere existence. It was Friday night and she had been so close, so incredibly close to finishing up the last of her paperwork before she went home to have a nice long date with her couch. She glances at the clock confirming what she already knows: there is still five minutes left of her shift which means technically she's still on call and the ill-timed buzzing is summoning her to a crime scene. She sighs, snatching it up and hitting the green button harder than strictly necessary.

"Rizzoli" she grumbles, already reaching into her desk draw for her badge and gun.

"Jane?" the voice on the other end is definitely not dispatch and she pauses her movements, holding in her relieved sigh. Just because it wasn't dispatch didn't mean it wouldn't still lead to some kind of disaster and she didn't want to jinx it.

"Yeah?" she replies. It takes a second for the voice on the other end to respond.

"It's Suzie, I'm at the morgue. I think uh...you should probably get down here" her voice is hesitant and it sets Jane's nerves on edge.

"Is Maura OK?" she demands, strapping on her weapon and badge, the movements natural and comforting. She's already half way to the elevator by the time Suzie replies.

"No she's fine...sort of. Um, it's hard to explain I think you need to see for yourself." Jane nods even though Suzie can't see it as she punches the call button for the elevator repeatedly, shifting from foot to foot impatiently. It takes a considerable amount of time for the elevator to arrive but eventually it dings and the doors slide open.

"I'm on my way" she doesn't wait for a reply as she disconnects the call, getting into the elevator as she hits the button for the morgue. The ride down is slow, each second ticking into the next as her heart beats frantically. She wouldn't be satisfied until she knew for herself Maura was safe. When the doors open she can't get out fast enough, running the short distance to her best friend's office.

"What's going on?" she asks. Suzie looks up from where she is sitting on the corner of Maura's desk, awkwardly patting her shoulder. Jane barely glances at her before her eyes are seeking out the honey blonde. Her face is partially obscured by her hair but Jane can still make out the remnants of tears and immediately her heart sinks. Upsetting Maura is like kicking a puppy and it slowly fills her with rage. Whoever is responsible for this had better be ready to face the wrath of an angry Jane Rizzoli.

"Maura" she says gently, coming to kneel in front of her, grateful that Suzie gives them space.

"What's wrong?"

"It's nothing" she mumbles back, her voice hoarse. It's clearly not nothing and Jane idly wonders why hives aren't breaking out across her skin.

"Tell me anyway" she replies, voice gentle. Softly she tilts Maura's chin up, dark brown orbs meeting glassy Hazel ones, the green more prominent because she's upset. A stray tear escapes and Jane brushes it away tenderly, cupping her cheek in her palm. She would stay here all night begging if that's what it took.

"Do you remember the necklace I was wearing this morning, the one that I said went perfectly with my dress?" she asks.

The dress Jane remembers, the way the dark emerald green fabric brought out the colour of Maura's eyes. The way it hugged her body, showing off delicate curves to perfection. The neckline, which was just a tiny bit lower than she usually wore, causing Jane to remind herself numerous times to keep her eyes up. The fact it ended mid-thigh, showing off perfect yoga-toned legs.

Yeah, she definitely remembers the dress.

The necklace not so much.

She nods anyway, making a mental note to ask Suzie if she remembers what it looked like.

"There was something wrong with the clasp and I have been meaning to get it fixed but it went so perfectly with the dress and well...it's gone. My mother gave it to me for my sixteenth birthday" her voice wobbles, sobs threatening to escape. Jane gently rubs her arms comfortingly and only a few tears fall.

"Shhhh, it's ok we'll find it" she whispers, wiping them away.

"But Jane, I can't remember if I took it off before the autopsy." Jane stills.

"You don't think...?" She trails off swallowing thickly. Maura nods, a sad sigh escaping her lips.

"I've looked everywhere else." Jane frowns, unhappy that Maura's sad.

"And the body is...?" She asks.

"At the funeral home" Maura finishes, confirming her suspicion.

"It's ok Maur we'll call them in the morning." she shakes her head and Jane gives her a questioning look.

"It's so unprofessional Jane, leaving something inside a body. I can't" another tear runs down her cheek and Jane can feel her heart sliding with it.

"It was a mistake, I'm sure they'll understand" Jane reasons but Maura shakes her head, another tear escaping. That settles it for Jane: she would do anything to see that beautiful smile of hers again.

She knew the moment her phone rang there was going to be some kind of disaster.

"I'll get it back" she says, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as images of heroes and quests from her childhood fill her mind.

"How?" Maura asks, dabbing at the corners of her eyes with the tissue Jane handed her.

"I'll...think of something" she replies, placing a gentle kiss on Maura's forehead as she stands.

"Thank-you Jane" Maura says sincerely. Jane nods, taking one last look at her before she leaves. She was a detective, she would figure something out.

...

"The things I do for her" Jane grumbles under her breath, the scalpel in her hand glinting under the fluorescent lights. She looks down at the body with a grimace, the neat Y incision doing nothing to ease her nerves. How had she gotten herself into this again?

Maura.

Maura who lost her necklace.

Maura who was upset.

Maura who, to cheer her up Jane had gotten the address of the funeral home, broken in and was now preparing to dissect a dead body to find said necklace.

Why me? she wondered, looking down at the body with trepidation. Hesitantly she brought the scalpel forwards but pulled back before it touched the dead skin. She took a deep breath, regretting it when the harsh smell of death and chemicals filled her senses.

"Man up Rizzoli" she mumbles, squaring her shoulders. "You can do this" she thought of Maura's face earlier, how sad and venerable she had been. It did the trick and she slowly brought the scalpel down.

A shrill ringing broke the silence and she jumped, automatically reaching for her weapon. She fumbled for her phone, relieved that she was alone.

"Yeah?" She whispers, reaching under the table for the scalpel which had fallen out of her hand.

"Jane" Maura replies, her voice bringing a smile to Jane's face.

"Hey Maur" Her hand closed around the scalpel and she smiles victoriously, knocking her head against the table on the way up.

"Ow, damn it" she hisses, putting the scalpel down to rub at the spot the table made contact.

"Are you Ok?" Maura asks worriedly.

"Peachy" Jane replies, sarcasm dripping thickly. "What's up?"

"I found it" Maura says excitedly.

"You...What?" She asks, shocked.

"It was in the pocket of the jacket I took home during lunch because I accidently spilled a bit of my salad on it" Jane tries to hold back her groan, she really does. It escapes anyway, alerting Maura to her displeasure.

"Jane?"

"Good for you" She replies, trying to keep the annoyance in her voice to a minimum as she looks down at the body. Oh well, it could be worse she supposes. She could have been half way into the body before Maura called. Yeah, that definitely would have been worse.

"Do you want to come over for a victory beer?" Maura asks and immediately Jane perks up. The possibility of a beer and a movie at Maura's was infinitely better than the evening she had planned.

"Sure" she replies excitedly, trying not to sound over-eager. On the other end of the line Maura chuckles and Jane can imagine her shaking her head.

"See you soon" Jane says and they both hang up. She's still smiling when her eyes travel back to the body. Now she just had to figure out what to do with it.

...

"Hey Maur" Jane says as Maura opens the door before she can reach out to knock. She smiles brightly as she ushers Jane inside. There's an open beer waiting for her on the counter and she smiles gratefully at the doctor before plonking unceremoniously on the couch, taking a long drink. Maura sits delicately beside her, sipping her glass of wine.

"So it was here the whole time huh?" Maura nods and Jane sighs, visible deflating.

"I do appreciate the effort though" Jane perks up and it brings a smile to Maura's face.

"You do?"

"Yes" Maura leans in, gently placing a kiss on her cheek. It's the barest brush of lips but Jane's skin heats up, her thoughts ceasing until every fibre of her being is focused on the spot Maura's lips touched her skin, a blush covering her cheeks. Maura laughs, her breath gently playing over Jane's skin before she moves away. A disappointed sigh escapes Jane before she can filter it, filling the air between them. It says more than words could and Maura watches Jane curiously out of the corner of her eye, searching for a sign.

"Maura there's something I need to tell you" Jane says nervously, the words barely making it past the lump in her throat.

"I think I already know" she replies, barely a whisper but the words fill the room, encompassing the pair.

Agonisingly slowly Maura leans in. Like a magnet being pulled in Jane copies the movement until they are barely a breath apart, balancing dangerously on the edge. Brown eyes meet hazel, both searching, watching, longing. It's too much to resist, the spark between them taking on a life of its own.

Their lips brush and it breaks them apart, shattering them until the shards reform into something new, something bigger than the two of them. One of them moans as the kiss deepens, Maura crawling into Jane's lap as she pulls them closer together. A thousand words could not even begin to describe the way Jane feels. It's like everything clicks into place, her soul coming alive as she cradles the other woman, her other half gently in her lap.

She couldn't think of a better way to spend her Friday night.


End file.
